The Friday deaths of at least 31 anti-government activists in a fire started by ultra-nationalists in Odessa is the kind of inter-ethnic violence that Russia has warned about for months, Mark Sleboda, a senior lecturer of international affairs, told RT.

The Moscow State University instructor spoke to RT about the
violent scene in Odessa, where anti-government protesters were
forced into the Trade Unions House by Right Sector militias who
were bussed in from western Ukraine. The ultra-nationalists then
set fire to the building, leading to a horrific death for dozens.

"Of those that survived – either by escaping the building or
jumping out of the windows – some of them were then made to crawl
on their hands and knees, despite suffering from burns, through a
gauntlet, a corridor of shame by these ultra-nationalists, who
were then beating them," Sleboda said, adding that there is
video footage of the beatings.

Sleboda also said the violence was foreseeable, most of all by
Russia, as soon as the conflict began in February.

Mark Sleboda: Yes, this is the greatest number
of fatalities that we have seen in this crisis since the riots on
February 20-21.

RT:Briefly take us through what happened
today and the offense that led up to all these deaths.

MS: There has been a condition of dueling
political militias in Odessa for several months now but there
hadn't been any fatalities as of yet. We know that several
hundred ultra-nationalists were bussed into Odessa. We have this
from the local police chief and from the Right Sector themselves.
They attacked an anti-putsch protest camp in the center of the
city.

The self-defense forces of the protest camps certainly fought
back. They were using makeshift weapons, chains, bats, reportedly
some small-arms fire, Molotov cocktails, and stones. We know that
regular people on both sides were participating. We saw
pensioners throwing pavement stones and hitting people with
clubs, which is an absolute Balkan, former Yugoslavia level of
neighbor-on-neighbor violence.

At one point, when a firetruck came on the scene, the pro-putsch
mob took control of the fire brigade truck, beat the driver, and
then tried to use the truck to ram the self-defense lines of the
anti-putsch protesters and crush them. Then the anti-putsch
protesters eventually retreated from the onslaught inside the
Trade Unions building. The pro-putsch protesters, the
ultra-nationalists, they set the building on fire. At least
30-some people died from smoke inhalation or burning. Others
jumped out of the windows. Eight people died jumping out of the
windows.

Of those that survived – either by escaping the building or
jumping out of the windows – some of them were then made to crawl
on their hands and knees, despite suffering from burns, through a
gauntlet, a corridor of shame by these ultra-nationalists, who
were then beating them. We have video of this.

RT:We have an eyewitness account, someone
who was at the building when it was attacked. We'll listen to
what he says.

Witness Valery Kaurov, self-proclaimed head of the
Republic of Odessa: One policeman died after being
injured by Right Sector radicals who came today to Odessa. There
were over a thousand of them. They wanted to hold a rally here
for United Ukraine and march toward our tent camp. We knew
beforehand of this provocation, so some of our brigades met them
as they were making their way to us. That's when these radicals
began throwing Molotov cocktails, rocks, and started to fight
with our guys, but our teams were able to fend them off and stop
them. Seeing all their attempts were fruitless; they opened
gunfire. That's how one of our guys and a policeman were killed.
These radicals were trying to get to our Orthodox outpost, where
many people come to pray for the Berkut soldiers who lost their
lives on Maidan. We're ready to fight to the end.

RT:Russian officials have warned that
Ukraine is on the brink of civil war. Is this what you see?

MS: Yes, Russia has been warning about this, not
just for the last few weeks, but for months now, when there was
an attempt to try to force Ukraine to make a political decision
on east-west with, first, the association agreement. Then when
the regime took power through the mob protests on February 21-22.
Russia has been warning that level of inter-ethnic violence was
inevitable, and this is the result we've seen.

RT:How much control does the Kiev
government have over the Right Sector, if any at all?

MS: Various times in the crisis, they have shown
that they have no control over the Right Sector. There was a
truce that was broken around February 19 or 20 by the Right
Sector. The February 21 agreement was broken by February 22 by
the Right Sector. And we have seen repeated riots in Kiev as
other Right Sector and ultra-nationalists marched on the Rada,
trying to force further and further right policies on this
regime.

RT:Do you expect to see further violence in
eastern and southern Ukraine?

MS: We've already gotten reports of further
encroachments in Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, and Dmitry Yarosh, the
leader of the Right Sector, has just announced that he will
personally go to Slavyansk to oversee the final stages of the
operation, as he put it.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.